<p>I think my daughter would agree with the 2 to 3 hours prep for each hour of class estimate. That’s on average. Some courses take less; some take more. Every semester and every mix of courses is going to be a little different.</p>
<p>A few things that she found really helped:</p>
<p>a) Make it a habit to go to the library with friends every night after dinner for several hours of study time without the distractions of the dorm. It’s still “social” with breaks every hour in one of the library’s lounges or going to wake up somebody who has fallen asleep in a big comfy chair and is drooling on their book! Carry a book to read during an odd hour of downtime between classes or before dinner out on Parrish Beach, or on the train going into Philly or while doing laundry. Knock out a couple of the novels for second semester over Christmas break.</p>
<p>b) Mix up the courses each semester. She tried to take a literature course or something where the reading was fun reading like novels to balance off an evening of reading Foucault. Tried to balance reading with a math or stat course. Tried to mix in an art history course where learning paintings was a different type of studying at finals time (she was the master of art flash cards in the dorm!). Tried to mix in one large lecture style course each semester because they are so much easier than small discussion classes.</p>
<p>c) Pick the professor, not the course. This is not always possible, but it increases the odds of getting great courses.</p>
<p>d) Learn to prioritize. Figure out what the main reading for discussion in each class will be and prepare to discuss that. If you run out of time, skip the stuff that won’t be discussed. </p>
<p>e) Use the resources. Professors office hours. Get your papers WA’d. Go to the science and math study groups. One of the defining qualities of Swarthmore is that it is SO collaborative. Friends take classes together. Discuss their papers. Help each other study.</p>
<p>Two things about college are incomprehensible to high school students: there are so many free hours in a day. You are only in class 12 hours a week or so. And (at least if you pick your courses well), the stuff you are studying can actually be really interesting and “fun” to learn.</p>